Last minute surprise. In the latest extension of the royal decree law of anti-crisis measures approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 has managed to include three permits established by the Family Law that had been drawn up by Minister Ione’s team Belarra, whose processing was interrupted by the electoral advance. In total, there are nine paid days to take care of the people closest to the worker, whether due to illness (five days) or emergency situations (four days).
And another leave of up to eight weeks (this one without pay) for parents with children under the age of eight.
The new developments will come into force as soon as the decree law is published, according to Social Rights sources, which is expected between today and tomorrow.
It has also been recovered from the law that expired the fifteen-day permit for de facto couples who have gone to the registry to certify their relationship, thus equating them with marriages.
The other measures, such as the creation of a large category of vulnerable families, in which the many – who rejected it – were included, will remain in the drawer. Also the consideration of large families from single parent families (almost all single parents) with two children. And the inclusion as a special family category of large families with four children, instead of five, as until now (and will remain so).
But Belarra has managed to “save” part of its Family law with permits so that family units can reconcile and care for sick relatives. Thus, the decree includes a leave of care of five days a year, paid, which can be used in the event of a serious accident or illness, hospitalization or surgical intervention without hospitalization that requires rest, both of a relative of up to the second degree (uncles, grandparents, grandchildren, nephews) or a cohabitant. This figure is new and can be explained, according to Belarra, because there are many people who live with friends and, when they get sick, they look after them as if they were family.
In addition, a second leave is approved “due to force majeure”, which will be distributed by the hour and may be up to four days a year. This is an innovative leave that will also be remunerated and aims to allow fathers and mothers to be absent from work when there are urgent family reasons.
And a third parental leave of eight weeks, which can be enjoyed continuously or intermittently, full-time or part-time, until the minor turns eight. These leaves, as he explained back in the day, can be important because of the weeks of school holidays that make parents so crazy.
In addition, the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 has incorporated in the royal decree that de facto couples have the right to fifteen days of leave for registration, just like marriages, something that was also established in the Family Law.
After it had been approved by the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Social Rights justified the promulgation of this decree-law in the fact that Spain “lives a conciliation emergency” which forces “many mothers and fathers to juggle to reconcile the professional and family life”, something that especially single-parent families suffer from. For this reason, it is clear that his department has not stopped working “so that the most important measures of this law (that of) are approved this legislature”.
A declaration of intent that allowed him to ratify his commitment to “continue promoting all the measures we can so that forming a family in Spain is a little easier; we want to have time for the most important, and we have time to make it possible”.
